As the Baby Boomer population continues to age into their elderly years, more concerned family members will be faced with making crucial decisions on the behalf of their loved one, such as health care decisions. Specifically, they’ll face the need to find in-home health care for their elderly loved one.

How To Find & Hire A Home Health Care Aide, Or Visiting Nurse In Bethel, Connecticut

In-home health care is needed for the following reasons:

1. The patient requires continuous care for a chronic health condition
2. The patient requires post-operative care
3. The patient requires care following an illness or an injury

In all cases, concerned family members who have power of attorney over their loved one’s health care needs will need to begin the process of selecting an appropriate health care agency, based upon the following criteria:

Arranging For Home Visits

As the process of selecting an in-home health care agency begins, there are steps that the family members involved in the screening process must begin. First, if nothing else, they need to screen multiple agencies at the same time.

They should never settle for the first agency they interview. It’s crucial that the right agency meets the needs of the family, and the patient. The right agency should prove the be the best fit on all levels.

Next, the family members performing screening duties should ask for multiple references, and follow up on them. If any red-flags make themselves apparent during the reference screening process, they should not be disregarded or ignored.

Specific Health Care Questions

The following are the type of questions that in-home health care screeners should ask about specific care, and in-home health care provider protocol:

• What specific skills does the agency’s home health providers have to offer?
• Do the providers participate in continuing education courses?
• If the patient isn’t happy with their assigned provider, can they ask for a replacement provider?
• What metrics are used to monitor the patient’s care and medical progress?
• Are the patient’s medications reviewed during the course of treatment?
• On what basis is a treatment plan created?
• How often are treatment plans reassessed?
• Are the health care wishes of the patient included and respected?
• Are the home health providers licensed and insured?
• What specific services are provide beyond in-home treatment?

Connecticut Insurance And Billing Questions

Medicare pays for in-home health care for a short period of time. Typically, private insurance fills in any gaps that medicare won’t cover. Also, private insurance can pay for care that goes past the period of time that medicare covers.

With this said, it’s important to ensure that one’s insurance plan is accepted. If the provider bills the insurance company directly, this should be noted as well.